Thank you NetGalley and Headline for this eCopy to review

I recently had the pleasure of reading The Paris Affair by Muna Shehadi, and it was an enthralling experience from beginning to end. This novel, the first in Shehadi's new series, masterfully intertwines the lives of three women across different generations, creating a rich tapestry of secrets, love, and self-discovery.

The story begins in Christmas 1915, with a grieving father gifting his motherless daughter an exquisite A. Marque doll, Sarah. This doll becomes a significant symbol throughout the novel. Fast forward to the summer of 1975, where we meet Helen Kenyon, a sheltered Midwesterner who seizes the chance to spend six months in Paris before her impending marriage. In Paris, Helen, along with her friends Lilianne and Connie, immerses herself in a world of high culture and champagne. Her encounter with the charismatic photojournalist Gilles Aubert challenges her to reconsider her future.

Fifty years later, Teresa Clark is tasked with preparing her estranged grandmother Helen's Kansas ranch for sale. Teresa's journey reveals a different side of Helen, one that contradicts the negative stories told by Teresa's mother. As Teresa uncovers mementos from Helen's past, including the well-preserved antique doll, she gains the strength to confront multiple truths about her family and herself.

Shehadi's writing is both evocative and engaging, bringing to life the vibrant settings of Paris and the emotional landscapes of her characters. The dual-time narrative is handled with finesse, making the transitions seamless and the connections between past and present poignant. Each character's journey is compelling, and their stories are interwoven in a way that keeps the reader invested throughout.

Overall, The Paris Affair is a beautifully crafted novel that I highly recommend. Shehadi has created a captivating story that resonates on many levels. If you enjoy novels with strong female characters, historical intrigue, and a touch of romance, this book is definitely for you.

Christmas, 1915, a grieving father gives his motherless daughter an exquisite, one-of-a-kind A. Marque doll, one she'd gladly exchange for her heart's desire.

Summer, 1975, sheltered Midwesterner Helen Kenyon is set to marry her college sweetheart, when she jumps at the opportunity to spend six months in Paris. With fellow Americans Lilianne and Connie and an 'adopted' antique doll, Helen plunges into a heady world of high culture and champagne. But it's the charismatic photojournalist, Gilles Aubert, who tempts her to change her future.

Fifty years later, Teresa Clark dutifully accepts the job of preparing her estranged Grandma Helen's Kansas ranch for sale, only to find Helen bears little resemblance to the philandering drunk of her mother's stories. Not until she uncovers mementos of Helen's past and the astonishing secret of a well-preserved antique doll, does Teresa gain strength to face multiple truths - about her family, herself, and what life she'll choose for her own.

After a slow start, this really picks up in the middle. By the time I got to the end, I had forgotten the slow beginning. Teresa as a character was hard to like. The story was overall very satisfying, though. Great ending! 3.5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

As Helen falls and breaks her hip, she's first confused and has difficulties remembering everything. For this reason, her daughter Cheryl wants her to moove to a care home. She sends her daughter Teresa to clear out the farmhouse Helen lived in for years. For Cheryl this task isn't as easy and she reveals the life of her grandmother she never knew.

This is the first dual timeline story from Muna Shehadi. It's the first of three books. I liked it very much and I'm looking forward to the sequels.

Thanks for the possibility to read this book.

I do so love a dual timeline book. I have a few favourite authors who do this extremely well. And now I'm glad to say, fingers crossed I've found another.
It tells the story of a grandmother and her grand daughter. We get to know both of them I'm their separate time lines and then also how they come together and how what's happened to them starts their new relationship and then how getting to know eachother might jist change everything they know, thought they knew or ha e been told.
There was a lovely set of side characters. A few of which I hear we will be hearing more of which is something I'm definitely looking forward to reading.
It handled lots of relevant subjects to both past and present day.
It is written with a great flow to it. The characters and places described so I coupd imagine each scene and person in my own way.

This is a multiple timeline story.
Teresa and her mother, Cheryl live a good journey away from where her grandmother, Helen lives on a farm in Kansas. Cheryl gets a phone call from her brother who helps out in the farm telling her that Helen has fallen and broken her hip.
She tells Teresa that she has arranged for her grandmother to go and live in a care home as she has dementia and that's why she fell. Helen's house will have to be cleared out and sold and the proceeds divided between Cheryl and her brothers. Cheryl is too busy to do it herself so Teresa offers to do it.
This will be a life changing decision for Teresa and she will find that the truth might not be as she knows it.

We go back in time to when Helen is a young girl. Kevin her long term boyfriend is planning their future and has bought a farm. He loves farming and has no intention of ever leaving the farm. He expects Teresa to be just as happy but Teresa's dream is to travel especially to Paris.
When she is offered the chance she has to convince her parents and Kevin to let her go for 6mths.

I enjoyed this book. I felt it could have been a longer book as it ended quite abruptly I thought and there was so much more I wanted to know about.
There were a few parts of the book where I lost a bit of interest as it seemed to be not relevant and just padding but it soon picked up and enjoyed the rest of it.
Good characters in all time lines.
The story of the doll was just a byline and I didn't feel it added much to the story.
Also using the work "ick" was just, well, "ick". Never heard anyone using it in real life.
There 's a sequel in the pipeline and I'm looking forward to reading it.

An enjoyable dual timeline story, set in the 1970s with Helen and the present day with Teresa, Helen's granddaughter.

In the current day Helen has had a fall and is in hospital and her daughter, Teresa's mother, wants her put into a home and her home sold for Helen's safety, and as Teresa is at a bit of a crossroads she volunteers to help clear out the house/farm and visit her grandmother in hospital.

Once there Teresa reconnect with her uncle and cousin, who are looking after the various animals on the small farm, and finds out their side of the story doesn't quite match her mother's side of the story. Helen slowly recovers and gets closer with Teresa, and ends up back in the farm with Teresa helping her.

The story switches between Helen's time in Paris for six months, before she settled down in Kansas and married her childhood sweetheart and Teresa's grandfather.

I liked the story, but really this 'priceless porcelain doll' is just a sort of side story / character and really not the main story the blurb led me to believe. The very beginning telling us how the doll came to be in Helen's possession was a bit pointless really. The main story is about Helen and her time in Paris, and the people she met, her life was at a crossroads really, stay in Paris or come back to the States.

I did find Teresa very hard to like initially, she grew on me a bit by the end of the book, but she was a difficult character to warm to, especially as initially she didn't like animals and literally ran from an over-excitable dog on the farm all the time, which was a bit pathetic! I also found all the times she said 'ick' when she didn't like something extremely annoying, I mean who really says that?!

But in the end it was an enjoyable story, with Helen getting her happy ever after, Teresa's mother getting her comeuppance, and Helen reconnecting with friends from Paris, which is all I was really hoping for.

A dual time novel with events in 1915, 1970s and nowadays. I was young in the 1970s and was in Paris in those years. I remember the first time I was at Père Lachaise, what a place! I love history and figured this book would be right up my alley. I expected the story to be about the doll and its history. It isn’t. We learn right away where the doll comes from. I appreciate the foreword by the author explaining the history of these dolls. I love it when authors use real historical objects as a starting point for their novel. The book, although set in the 1970s, addresses topics that are still relevant in some communities today, those of extremely traditional roles within the family. As a reader you understand why Helen wants to get out and explore more of life and we celebrate with her as she dives into a new culture. The story deals with fear of change, the fear of not fitting in (can’t we all relate?) and people doing things they actually don’t like but feel “forced” to do because of the friends they hang out with. It’s about deep friendships and the hurt they can cause; forgiveness and facing reality; accepting the consequences of your actions and not being afraid of being yourself. But it’s also also about selfishness and bitterness. The biggest surprise is when Helen’s granddaughter goes to Kansas. What she uncovers about her family is not something one sees coming. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending and am wondering (and hoping) we’re going to learn more about this in book two. The book is a substantial read, I do feel it could have been a bit shorter, but it’s definitely a very pleasant way of spending a number of hours.

Many thanks to Headline for an ARC. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this book! It was a little bit slow to start. But I really enjoyed it when the pace picked up!

The Paris Apartment is a phenomenal historical fiction. The story and characters draw you in, feeling all the emotions. Such a great and thought provoking read.

Found it a bit slow and boring to begin with. Nearly called a halt, however I stuck with it and really enjoyed it.

Thank you, Netgalley.co.uk and Headline Review, for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

To begin with, I found the story slow and was dispirited by the idea that, having read the blurb, there could be much more substance to this book.

There is so much information given in the prologue that I feel it could have made for a more dynamic story in its own right. Moving from 1915 to 1931, there is much more of interest and appeal that another written story could have led into this book.

Chapter one takes the reader to 1975 and chapter two to the present day. I have always loved a dual time novel. Finding out what led the characters to become the people they are now. I really enjoyed this angle of the novel.

However, I found it a little frustrating to begin with. Helen's story had so much to be uncovered and such a great back story, whilst Teresa waffled on about goats, dogs, and the bird for most of her chapters. The visits to Helen were briefly covered, and any interesting information became almost a second thought. There were infinitely more engrossing details that could have been covered during these visits, yet still give the impression of "popping in."
It isn't until the middle of the book that I sat up and though "hello, this is getting better." The story suddenly becomes stimulating, and things become more engaging. Finally, we are getting somewhere.

I would encourage readers to stick with it and hold out for the better chapters. This book has the makings of a great story, but unfortunately for me, it was Teresa's lacklustre approach and ramblings of the unimportant in the beginning that let it down.
Once we reach the middle, the story lifts, the characters become more alive, and the whole book begins to light up.

I'm pleased to know that there are two other books to follow this. The next will accompany Lilianne to Cairo, and I'm hoping it will be more engaging from the beginning. I'm keen to see where her path leads her.

3.5 stars✨️ rounded up

This was a strong start in this series, it had that element that I was looking for in a historical fiction novel. The characters were realistic and enjoyed getting to know them in this. I thought the multiple time-lines worked well overall and it worked in this plot. Muna Shehadi has a strong writing style and enjoyed everything that was going on. It left me wanting to read more in this world and from Muna Shehadi.

I just loved The Paris Affair. I couldn’t put it down. It kept me turning the page until the very last page!

Set in three timelines this tale tells the story of a doll and the effects of of life and the history of those who owned the doll had on three women.

This is a wonderfully told story and I especailly loved the settings. Each of the womens stories are all completely different but they eventually meld together and Oh my! it is just exquisite.

The author is a wonderful storyteller and I was captivated as the story developed. I loved all of the women and I was easily transported into their inner circle.

recommended read..